


Broken Promises

by Minuete



Series: His and Her Angst [23]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Mulder’s childhood, Post-Episode: s04e13 Never Again, Pre-X-Files, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 19:45:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16729575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minuete/pseuds/Minuete
Summary: Mulder’s broken promises. An answer to a tumblr prompt: “You never keep your promises”





	Broken Promises

“Fox! You promised!” Samantha complained when he changed channels right after their parents left for the evening.   
“It’s before I remembered that The Magician is airing tonight,” Fox replied as he moved his spy piece on the board.   
“You promised if I play Stratego with you that I can watch The Magnificent Seven!” she slightly whined.  
“You’re not even trying to win.”  
Samantha swung her right arm across the board scattering the Stratego pieces much to her brother’s dismay. “You never keep your promises!” she shouted at him before storming away in a huff. He didn’t realize that would be one of last things he’d remember of her that night.

Across the pond, Fox William Mulder relished shedding off the shroud that surrounded his family name attached to Samantha’s disappearance. However, he found that he was in way over his head with the likes of a lithe, pixie-cut brunette by the name of Phoebe Green. “Foxy,” she cooed, “what are your thoughts about Lawrence Casler?”  
“Who?” he asked trying to cut through the pleasure he was feeling between his legs from her ministrations.  
She nipped and tugged which caused him to half moan and wince from pain. “Lawrence Casler and his take on marriage. It’s a required reading for one of our psychology courses.”  
“I didn’t read his book yet to form an opinion,” he managed to answer.  
“Well, I’d like us to do a social experiment about it,” Phoebe suggested with a smirk and an appreciative glance, “And it looks like you’re up to it.”  
A couple weeks later, he stormed out of Phoebe’s room heading to the door after catching her straddling another classmate from their psychology class. She catches up to him in the foyer, a sheet loosely wrapped around her, and chided him for his immature reaction. “You agreed to this arrangement. Why are you acting this way?”  
“I don’t recall agreeing to anything.”  
“You were game atop Sir Doyle’s grave when I mentioned it, Fox. I can’t believe you’re not keeping your promise with this social experiment.”  
He needs to remember to never lead with his prick. It would take him two more lessons with Phoebe until he returned to the States.

He’s enamored, or so he thinks, when he’s assigned to a team with Special Agent Diana Fowley to profile a serial killer and possibly a copycat terrorizing the metro DC area. She was the first to notice his night terrors during cases like this that involved mutilated children. She somehow grabbed hold of his personnel files and knew of Sam.   
“Fox, I think it’s time you look into regression hypnotherapy,” she suggested when he abruptly woke up beside her with a gasp, naked between the sheets. He felt her warm hands against his bare back, clammy from the cold sweat, as he ran his trembling hands through his hair and tried to take even breaths. She kissed his shoulder and beckoned him to rest. They still had a killer or two to catch.  
It wasn’t long after the case when the hypnotherapy session helped him recount the night of Sam’s disappearance: her accusatory remark and her cries for help as They took her away. Diana found two boxes of old files investigated by an Author Dales down in the basement where old tech equipment found its resting place.   
“What do you think, Fox?” She helped him sort through the cases involving sightings of UFOs and strange phenomena. “Do you think this will keep you occupied on your spare time?”  
“I need to put all my focus on this, Diana,” he decided, “50 years’ worth of cases can’t just be buried. These victims need their voices heard.”  
She gave him a small smile and shook her head sadly. “This isn’t what I envisioned for us.” She stared down at her left hand with the simple band on her finger that matched his own when she said, “You’re not keeping your promise.”   
He gained the X-Files at the expense of his short-lived marriage. Perhaps it is better this way, he reasoned. He could put all his drive and effort in his search for Samantha.

The expanse of the desk couldn’t capture the distance Mulder felt as he stopped himself from finishing his thought. Scully’s life wasn’t his own; yet, he implicated ownership when he arrived at the hospital seeing her bruised and battered. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes dared him to say his piece. Say his piece so she can tear him down with just a look. She had that ability over him. The silence seemed to drag on as he glanced up to see Scully stopped fiddling with the withered rose petal and placed it beside his nameplate. Why didn’t he notice it before she returned to the office?   
“Is that all?” she asked, her index finger tapping beside the petal. He sat back in his chair and nodded.  
“You’ll have to excuse me this afternoon. I’m needed in Quantico as a last-minute instructor. Feel free to call and verify with the department head. I’m sure you’d like to be kept abreast of my whereabouts while I’m on duty.”  
“This isn’t how we work, how we function, Scully.”  
“Isn’t it now? My expertise also lies outside of this department I was merely assigned to.” She got up from her chair gingerly to head out.  
“Scully, I promise I’ll request a desk for you. Hell, at least a door plate. I don’t know why they haven’t placed your name at the door, yet.” He sounded desperate as he quickly searched for the requisition forms he knew he had somewhere in one of the desk drawers. Or was it placed beside his desk in one of the folders stacked against the wall?  
“Mulder, don’t make promises you can’t keep. It will only lead to disappointment for both parties,” Scully warned before she exited the office.

 

 


End file.
